Can Cities Become Healthier? WHO Trains Global Experts to Address Urban Health Risks

The World Health Organization (WHO) is strengthening efforts to help cities address these challenges by equipping professionals with practical skills to identify health risks and improve local planning.

More than half of the global population currently lives in urban areas, with that share projected to reach 68% by 2050, placing growing pressure on cities to provide healthy and sustainable living conditions. Urban environments offer opportunities for improved healthcare, employment, climate action and social development, but rapid population growth is also increasing exposure to air pollution, extreme heat, inadequate housing and unsafe transport systems. These challenges have made urban health a growing concern for governments and public health professionals seeking to create safer communities as cities continue to expand.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is strengthening efforts to help cities address these challenges by equipping professionals with practical skills to identify health risks and improve local planning. For the second consecutive year, the WHO Academy and WHO Urban Health Unit organised a four-week training programme focused on the Urban Health Capacity Assessment and Response – Resource Kit. The initiative brought together 73 participants from 27 countries across all six WHO regions, selected from more than 120 applications, reflecting growing international interest in building healthier urban environments.

The training comes as global attention turns toward COP31 in Türkiye, the upcoming World Urban Forum in Mexico City and the approaching 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These international discussions are increasing pressure on governments to turn environmental and public health commitments into practical improvements that directly benefit urban communities. WHO's programme supports this effort by helping city officials, policymakers, researchers and public health practitioners develop approaches suited to the challenges faced by their communities.

WHO Training Helps Cities Turn Urban Health Guidance Into Practical Action

The four-week programme consisted of four two-hour online sessions designed to help participants understand and apply WHO's urban health resource kit in real-world situations. Representatives from municipal health departments, national ministries, civil society organisations, academic institutions and WHO country offices worked together to examine the challenges affecting their cities. Through small-group discussions and practical exercises, participants explored ways to assess existing urban health capacities, identify weaknesses and develop coordinated responses to local health concerns.

The programme included published examples from Greater Accra, Enugu State, Gwangju Dong-gu, Kwekwe, Lira, London, Suva and Utrecht, allowing participants to learn from different urban settings. Two specialists who had contributed to and used the resource kit joined the sessions as guest speakers, sharing experiences of how cities can assess their health-related strengths and areas requiring improvement. Participants completed the training with draft plans for introducing urban health capacity assessments in their own locations, supported by written commitments intended to help the group monitor future progress.

The practical approach received positive feedback from participants, who highlighted the usefulness of the group exercises, city examples and resource kit in understanding how to apply the guidance. Rather than focusing entirely on theoretical discussions, the sessions encouraged professionals to consider the specific health challenges affecting the populations they serve. This approach helped participants connect global public health recommendations with decisions that could be made through existing local institutions and planning processes.

Housing, Transport and Climate Conditions Shape Health in Growing Cities

WHO emphasised that improving urban health requires action across several sectors because the conditions influencing people's well-being extend far beyond hospitals and healthcare services. Housing quality, public transportation, access to nutritious food, employment opportunities, environmental conditions, infrastructure and neighbourhood safety all influence people's exposure to health risks. Poorly planned urban development can increase respiratory illnesses, noncommunicable diseases, injuries and heat-related health problems, particularly among populations with limited access to essential services.

City governments therefore need stronger cooperation between health authorities, transport planners, housing departments, environmental agencies and other institutions responsible for urban development. Understanding where local institutions have sufficient resources and where important gaps remain can help governments prioritise investments and improve their ability to respond to health concerns. WHO's resource kit provides a structured approach for examining these capacities and supporting decisions that place public health and fairness at the centre of urban planning.

WHO Technical Lead for Urban Health, Dr Nathalie Roebbel, stressed that healthier cities depend on more than technical interventions and require institutions capable of working together across different sectors. She explained that the training is helping establish an international network of professionals who can recognise institutional strengths, identify weaknesses and transform assessments into coordinated action. The broader objective is to make health and equity essential considerations in decisions about how urban areas develop and serve their populations.

WHO Plans to Expand Urban Health Training Through a New Generation of Trainers

The second training cohort builds on the experience of the first programme, increasing the number of professionals capable of applying WHO's urban health assessment approach at local and national levels. Participants are expected to adapt the resource kit to their own circumstances, recognising that cities face different challenges depending on their population, infrastructure, environmental conditions and available resources. The initiative is supporting the development of future trainers who can share the approach with additional professionals and institutions.

Strengthening local expertise is becoming increasingly important as urban populations grow and cities confront overlapping pressures from climate change, environmental pollution, inadequate services and unequal access to healthy living conditions. By encouraging professionals to examine local capacities and coordinate action across departments, WHO hopes to support more effective responses to the problems affecting urban communities. The programme also offers opportunities for international learning, allowing participants to draw on experiences from cities facing different economic, social and environmental conditions.

WHO has confirmed that the next training programme will take place in 2027, continuing its efforts to expand urban health expertise and encourage practical action across countries. The growing network of trained professionals could help cities develop stronger institutions, improve collaboration and make more informed decisions about public health priorities. With the global urban population expected to keep increasing, strengthening the ability of cities to create healthier and more inclusive environments will remain an important part of sustainable development.